Wild And Salvation Army To Kick Off 2005 Kettle Drive November 17

MINNESOTA WILD AND THE SALVATION ARMY TO KICK-OFF
2005 KETTLE DRIVE AT ECOLAB PLAZA ON NOVEMBER 17

SAINT PAUL/MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. – The National Hockey League’s Minnesota Wild will be joining The Salvation Army for its annual Kettle Kick-Off on Thursday, November 17 to start this year’s Christmas fundraising campaign. Wild employees will staff the red kettle throughout the day during the Bell Ringing Marathon to raise money for The Salvation Army and Wild television announcer Mike Greenlay will emcee the kick-off ceremony beginning at 5:00 PM at Ecolab Plaza, located at 370 Wabasha Street between 5th and 6th Streets, in downtown St. Paul.

At 5:15 PM, The Salvation Army will flip the giant switch to light its 56-foot tall Giant Lighted Kettle and provide live music by The Salvation Army’s brass band during the event. The first 300 people at the event will receive a free single pizza from Davanni’s. Drawings will also be held for various prizes including a hockey stick autographed by the Minnesota Wild. Cub Foods will also make a special announcement during the program.

In addition, the newly created World’s Largest Kettle, an 8-foot replica of the traditional metal kettle, will be on display at the Xcel Energy Center during Saturday’s Minnesota Wild game against the Nashville Predators starting at 7:00 PM. Salvation Army bell ringers will also be accepting donations at Xcel Energy Center and the Army’s mascot, Bunky Bear, will be a special guest at the game.

Salvation Army bell ringers will also be in attendance at the following Minnesota Wild home games: November 23, December 15, December 17, December 19 and December 23. Wild front office personnel will be staffing Salvation Army red kettles in the skyway system of downtown St. Paul on Friday, December 16 as well.

The Salvation Army serves over 200,000 people in the Twin Cities, and is a safety net for those with no place to turn. The Salvation Army serves 1,000 hot meals each day, houses more than 800 people each night and is the largest provider of Christian faith-based human services in the metro area. The Minnesota Wild has been a proud supporter of The Salvation Army since 1998.